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2000 4788 on the hard for 2.5 years - what to expect

02-26-2018, 10:35 AM

We are doing surveys and sea trial later this week on a 2000 4788 that was on the hard for 2.5 years, resplashed last November. We have very qualified engine and marine surveyors lined up thru our broker but we would really like some input from the forum on some of the things we should be aware of that might get overlooked by even the best surveyors.

The interior of this boat is pristine. Zero smells. Although electronics are dated, they include a Navionics set up. Hurricane hydronic heat with full integration into the hot water heater and into the engine for “Red Dot” functionality while under way. Flybridge cushions and gel coat look like new.

So how can we “help”the surveyors? (Yes, I know they should charge extra when a potential owner offers to help!

We are doing surveys and sea trial later this week on a 2000 4788 that was on the hard for 2.5 years, resplashed last November. We have very qualified engine and marine surveyors lined up thru our broker but we would really like some input from the forum on some of the things we should be aware of that might get overlooked by even the best surveyors.

The interior of this boat is pristine. Zero smells. Although electronics are dated, they include a Navionics set up. Hurricane hydronic heat with full integration into the hot water heater and into the engine for “Red Dot” functionality while under way. Flybridge cushions and gel coat look like new.

So how can we “help”the surveyors? (Yes, I know they should charge extra when a potential owner offers to help!

If the surveyor is conducting a buyers survey then he should be very through with the survey.
Remember, a survey most likely will not include the engines and gear, except for starting and a sea trial.
You need an engine surveyor for the engines!

Comment

My opinion is you are not going to see much of anything different with the boat on the hard vs sitting in a slip unused.

Things break on a boat, wether the boat is used or not.

Along those lines I would expect an assundry of little things to be broken. Pumps that either do not work, or fail soon after making them work again. Doors that need a little service to slide properly.

In the head system, being a vaccuflush it would not suprise me if things like bowel seals dry out, although I’m not sure of that.

If the boat has been plugged in with good battery chargers then I think the batteries would probably be in the same state as before the boat was “stored”. If the boat has not been on shore power I would just count on replacing all the batteries as part of the purchase.

As far as the engines and generator I would hire a engine surveyor. My guess is that you are going to see dried out impellers, maybe a sticky injector or two.

Comment

My bad for not providing a bit more information. We are in Seattle, the boat is in British Columbia/Vancouver Island. We do have an engine survey scheduled with the Cummins folks in that area; it is conjunction with the sea trial. What about “old” fuel? Again, thanks for the replies.

Comment

Fortunately, diesel fuel does not get old and deteriorate. However fuel tanks will collect water from the air in them heating, cpooling and condensing and water is very bad for your injector pump and injectors. I dont believe 4788 tanks have a drain plug so emptying them can be a bit of a problem. I certainly would ensure all the water is removed before running the engine. Water is heavier than diesel and will will collect on so possibly a hose or pipe could be run to the very bottom of the tank and 10or 20 gallons pumped out. Then keep an eye on the pre filters for water in the bowl. If the batterys have not been charged and maintained during the time on the hard they will likely be toast

Comment

Forgot to mention... if the tanks were full there will be no air in the tank and no condensation. If they were allmost empty... lots of air and definite water in tanks especially when on the hard where the temperature changes will be greater

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4788 rotate the hoist on the flybridge, may be frozen.. look for soot by each exhaust canister to see if exhaust leak. check the hydronic tank under the left helm seat for system fluid. has furnace been serviced or work? is the plywood pad under the genset wet? sign of exchanger, or waterpump leak, the genset may run, but have issues. look at the dates,on the 8d batteries. that serial no. kind of sticker. open up the bow washdown, and while your there look for spider cracks in the bow deck. look for impact damage on the stainless rub rail anywhere. if out of the water, or document log on the propellers, 24x24 could have lugged down the 330s. Bonding system check! on engines, everywhere. Propeller shaft vibration at any speed during sea trial, like be down there looking at the shafts. are the the shafts slinging water? Document the Wide Open Throttle RPM (max) of each engine during the sea trial. Take a smart phone and take pics to document the dash readings of all gauges at various speeds during trial again the WOT on each engine. In the galley, the base of the slanted window support discolored by water stain leak? Also, if a 4788 has been on the hard for a while, and NOT positioned or sloped as if in the water, rain water can collect and get into places not normally and issue. Post back your findings to the forum for others to give input on what you've found, or concerns.

cglazier - "Fiftybucks"
1995 2855 7.4 bravo II

1 like

Comment

My thought if you can work it, have the boat sit in the water for a couple of days, then check the alignment before the sea trial. My 490 has been on the hard for nearly 2 months. We're going to launch on Friday, let her sit over the weekend and align on Monday. Do RPM checks with digital photo gun not gauges. Hope this helps. Ted
PS I have 330's. down pitched to 24 X 22.

Comment

In my experience, diesel fuel that sits too long can grow some kind of algey, misspelled, sorry. It’s going to clog the filters so what you may want to do is install some 2 micron filters in the pre engine filters, like racors. This will capture most of any junk before the main engine filters so you are only going to change one pair of filters during the sea trial.
As to “helping” the surveyor, be there so you can get an explanation of every finding and level of risk.
If you’ll send me a pm with your email, I send you a checklist developed by one of the members here for a 38xx, but will be pretty applicable to the 47.

Comment

Boat has been in the water since November. Sea trial will start with cold engines or we walk. Good point about tanks being full or empty. AFAIK the boat had power to chargers, etc while on the hard. Got all the info re the dingy crane thanks to BOC posts and got Smitty’s guidelines. Props are a concern due to details on some high resolution photos I’ve seen. Boat looks to have been properly positioned while out of the water and absolutely no smells, none, when we did an extended on site last week. Signs of some leakage on one of the engines over an inner engine mount with corrosion on the mount and a hose fitting. Some signs that there could have been a small leak from the generator intake hose.

Our broker is very experienced and we have a surveyor with an amazing CV. Engines are being surveyed by cat dealership, can’t remember the name. As long as the systems check out and no leaks (which I think would have created smells) the price is (almost) right so we’re prepared to proceed. A major surprise without corresponding price adjustments will kill the deal.

This is second owner; sadly a long term family member illness left the boat unused and an unfortunate end led to the sale.

Great input. I will follow up over the weekend after we’ve gone thru the inspections.

Comment

I had leakage over an engine mount that caused corrosion. Was a slight leak in the water pump. Not a big deal to replace the pump, but requires to loosen the engine mount and jack up the motor. Cleaning up the corrosion and painting will probably take longer.

I would try and negotiate some type of short term warranty or hold back until you know everything is up to snuff. There could be a ton of problems come to light after a few weeks of use as others have mentioned. Pumps, stuffing boxes, definitely impellars etc. It will need a major service on all key components. Specifically include things like windlass, windshield wipers-washers, bilge, fresh water & wash down pumps, sump, toilets, holding tank, flushing system. The latter could have dried out and might be totally clogged up, may need a complete fresh water flush and service. Example on mine, I recently had to replace a windinshield wiper motor. In the end it was $600 mostly labor trying to get the old motor out!! Good luck with the purchase and keep us posted. Machog

Comment

Prior to purchasing our boat it had seen very little use the last couple of years. During the sea trial, both impellers disintegrated so be sure to have those replaced. The macerator was stuck but we didn't have that addressed as we don't dump overboard and use pump out stations.

The vacuflush wasn't sealing but after several cycles it sealed back up, probably due to not being used for so long. The boat was kept in a boat house so no leaks were apparent, until Seattle rains quickly showed where all the little leaks were. Fortunately we got everything buttoned up and it hasn't leaked again.

Be sure to check the pressure in the steerring system before departing the dock so you don't get a nasty surprise during the sea trial. Good luck!